Running in Watchwood
by Pastel Bat
Summary: A young cat plagued with an unforgiving gift
1. Prologue

Snowflakes danced in the wind like a delicate ballerinas, each twirl and spin looked coordinated like routine. White puffy snow clouds dotted the sky, obstructing the moon's radiant light. A thick-furred, stocky, well-muscled, white tom strode through the forest, searching for the sweet delicious scent of prey.

A flicker of movement caught the pure white tom's eyes. He spotted a skinny vole searching hungrily through the snow for food. The tom licked his teeth at the thought of prey and began to stalk the small animal. Putting great care into each paw step, he narrowed his eyes, wiggled his haunches, and leapt onto the vole. A purr rumbled from his throat as the scent of prey washed over him.

He twitched his ears as he heard something trudging through the snow. _Another patrol?_ The tom thought as the sound got closer. His neck fur bristled as a familiar scent wavered over his noses. "Badger." He hissed aloud and backed away slowly. Suddenly, a giant black and white figured crashed through the snow covered bushes. The badger had broad black and white shoulders, powerful paws equipped with blunt claws, and a mouth filled with sharp jagged teeth. The badger grunted softly, studying the white tom that stood before him, frozen in fear. The badger quickly clambered over to the tom, sharp teeth meeting fur and skin.

A spine-tingling screech echoed through the forest as the white tom took his last breath, and fell limp in the badger's jaws. The badger set down the deceased body of the tom, licked its blood stained teeth and clambered off back into the foreboding darkness.


	2. Allegiances

**Windclan**

 **Leader:** Waspstar- Pale ginger battle scarred tom with large amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Palesun- Light brown she-cat with long skinny legs

 **Medicine Cat:** Turtlestep- Small skinny dark brown tom with heavily matted fur **(Puddlepaw)**

 **Warriors:**

Needlepad- Gray and white tom with dark green eyes

Tendrilcurl- White she-cat with curly fluffy fur

Crowspeck- Small black tom with pale green eyes

Spottedsage- Tortoiseshell she-cat with lovely blue eyes

Shrewskull- Skinny light brown tom with faint white tabby stripes on head

Elmfur- Smoky gray tom with icy blue eyes

Whiteash- Muscular white tom **(Birdpaw)**

Gingerfur- Small fluffy ginger and white tabby she-cat

Echoslash- Calico she-cat with amber eyes **(Condorpaw)**

Bearnight- Black tom speckled with faint white spots

Plumfur- Brown tabby tom

Ebonyjaw- White she-cat with dark brown muzzle and snout

Pricklefur- Wiry haired she-cat with light brown paws

Falconshine- Glossy pelted light brown tabby tom with brilliant amber eyes

Spidertooth- Dusty brown tom

Doeheart- Light brown she-cat with darker brown spots on flank

 **Apprentices:**

Birdpaw- Light brown tabby she-cat with bright amber eyes

Condorpaw- Black tom with patches of missing fur

Puddlepaw- light gray she-cat with faint dark gray spots

 **Queens:**

Pikefrost- Very pale brown she-cat with Siamese points and light blue eyes **(Ospreykit, Peregrinekit, Watchkit, Sunkit)**

Vinestone- White she-cat with sliced ears

Irisfur- Dark gray almost blue she-cat **(Mountainkit, Batkit)**

 **Kits:**

Watchkit- Fluffy light gray tom with face slightly flat

Peregrinekit- Dark brown tabby she-cat with bright amber eyes

Ospreykit- Honey colored tabby tom with dark amber eyes

Sunkit- Light yellowish-ginger tabby tom with green eyes

Mountainkit- Frail gray and white she-cat

Batkit- Black tom

 **Elders:**

Cypresscreek- Light ginger tom

Kestrelshade- Blind and deaf tom

 **Thunderclan**

 **Leader:** Rabbitstar- Small white tom with large ears

 **Deputy:** Stormflurry- White tom with white paws

 **Medicine Cat:** Flowershadow- Light ginger she-cat with black paws and underbelly

 **Warriors:**

Rustwhisker- Dark ginger she-cat

Harefall- Light brown tom with bright pink nose

Wormfoot- White tom

 **Apprentices:**

Lakepaw- Very pale brown tom with dark brown stripes above eyes and light blue eyes

Rosepaw- Dark ginger she-cat with long whiskers

 **Riverclan**

 **Leader:** Frogstar- Large, muscular she-cat with glossy gray fur

 **Deputy:** Foxstream- Small black tom with faint tip of white on tail

 **Medicine Cat:** Owlwhisker- Tawny colored she-cat with dark brown eyes **(Oakpaw)**

 **Shadowclan**

 **Leader:** Froststar- Pure white she-cat with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Mooseleaf- Large dark brown tom with dark yellow eyes

 **Medicine Cat:** Applebranch- Light gray tabby she-cat


	3. Chapter 1

The sad watery sun lurched past the horizon, the icy wind bellowing softly. Rays of dappled sunlight shone through one of the holes in the nursery wall Watchkit slowly opened his weary eyes, exhausted after a sleepless night filled with awful nightmares. He arose on short skinny legs, and tottered his away over to the nursery entrance. He couldn't go back to sleep, not to experience another soul-shocking nightmare.

The flat-faced kit gazed at the snow-kissed camp, his tail still twitching in fear. Watchkit's ears could still hear the screeches of pain echoing in his ears. It made him weep. _It's only a dream! Just a dream. Another silly nightmare, warriors don't cry!_ The kit thought in between his sobs.

"Oh Starclan, it's too early for this. Shut up Watchkit, some of us value sleep!" His brother, Sunkit, growled. "I'm s-s-sorry Sunkit. I had another nightmare." Watchkit sniffed. "Sorry doesn't bring back precious seconds of sleep." Sunkit snorted. "Shut up Sunkit! Can't you see that Watchkit's sad?" Peregrinekit hissed, standing beside her sniffling brother. "What was the nightmare about Watchkit?" "It was about a cat and a badger." "Go on." Peregrinekit coaxed. "Oh, it killed him, Peregrinekit! Just like that, gone with a swift bite to the throat. It's too awful to describe. I-I." "Give me a break! You're scared of a stupid badger? Oh please, you act like such a kitty pet sometimes." "Ugh you aren't helping Stupidkit." Peregrinekit retorted. "I am acting like a clueless kittypet! Warriors don't cry over dreams." Watchkit turned away from her. "Maybe getting away from this stuffy den might clear your head." Peregrinekit motioned her tail to the exit of the nursery. "Shouldn't we ask Pikefrost first? She'd be distraught to not find us in our nests." "Do you want to be here stuck with Sunkit the loud mouth and Ospreykit any longer than you have to?" Peregrinekit cocked an eyebrow. "I suppose not, but it still doesn't justify our actions." Watchkit shrugged. "Blah, blah, blah. We're five moons old, old enough to leave the nursery as we please!" "I guess you're right." Watchkit grinned. "Aren't I always?" Peregrinekit sniggered.

The two kits trudged outside to the snow bound camp. Watchkit breathed in the cold crisp air, enjoying the leaf-bare morning. "It's a nice morning, isn't it Watchkit?" Peregrinekit cooed. "Mhm." Watchkit agreed, pawing curiously at a snow mound. "I think I'm feel better now. It was just a simple dream." Watchkit mewed. "Finally done wetting the nest?" A familiar whiny voice asked. "Hello to you to Sunkit, Ospreykit." Watchkit greeted. "I thought you had to get your precious seconds of sleep." Peregrinekit meowed. "He actually wanted to see what you guys were talking about." Ospreykit said flatly. "No were not! We're going to ask Condorpaw how his hunting assessment went, aren't we?" Sunkit hissed behind clenched teeth. "Sure." Ospreykit shrugged. "Can I come with?" Watchkit pleaded. "Knock yourself out." Sunkit snorted.

Watchkit bounded across the camp to catch up with his two older brothers who were obviously trying to ditch him. When Watchkit stopped his sprinting to rest, a long-legged figure barreled into him. "Oh, excuse me." Watchkit mumbled. "Sorry about my clumsy apprentice, she should really be careful next time." A white tom mewed.. "Sorry little kit." The brown tabby apprentice shrugged. "I'll catch up with you later Birdpaw." The white tom. "Not another solo hunting patrol! Whiteash, there are rumors of a badger being in the forest, you can't go alone." Birdpaw whined. "I'll be fine, Birdpaw, really." Whiteash smiled at the worried apprentice. Watchkit shrugged off an eerie though lingering at the back of his head, and went to catch up with his brothers.

A frantic Crowspect scrambled into camp, eyes wild and fur ruffled. "Waspstar! Waspstar! Whiteash was killed by a badger!"


	4. Chapter 2

p style="text-align: center;"Watchkit trembled in horror as Crowspeck hauled in Whiteash's mutilated body. A small gathering of cats flocked around Whiteash's lifeless body, murmuring forlorn goodbyes to their clanmate. Pikefrost quickly snatched Watchkit away from the commotion. "You shouldn't see this, little one." Pikefrost mewed, her voice thick with emotion./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Pikefrost gathered her four restless kits back into the safety of the nursery. "I've think we've all had too much excitement for one night, It's time we sleep." Pikefrost forced a smile on her face. "What happened to Whiteash, Mama?." Peregrinekit mewled, craning her neck to see outside the nursery. "Nothing you should worry about." Pikefrost wrapped her tail around her face, slowly drifting into sleep./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Watchkit shuffled over to Peregrinekit, who had given up on trying to find out what was going on. "Peregrinekit!" He hissed at her. "Whuh?" She looked at him curiously. "Remember the dream I told you about this morning?" "About the cat and the badger?" Peregrinekit asked. "Yes,I-I think Whiteash was the cat in my dream." Watchkit hissed, swallowing the bile forming in his throat. "Is that what happened to Whiteash, he was killed by a badger?" Peregrinekit asked. Watchkit nodded his head sadly. "Disgusting." Peregrinekit growled, flexing her claws. "It's awful! If my dream did predict the future it means I could have saved Whiteash from dying. Watchkit mewed sadly. "How, Watchkit? You can't even leave the camp yet. You had nothing to with this." Peregrinekit rested her tail on his flank. Watchkit flinched away from her touch, "I don't know." Watchkit yawned, sleepiness washing over him. "You need your rest, Watchkit. Goodnight." Peregrinekit sighed, "Tell me if you have anymore dreams." "Will do." Watchkit nodded, settling himself into his nest./p  
hr noshade="noshade" size="1" /  
p style="text-align: center;"The first signs of foliage sprouted from the earth, soggy due to the recent melting of the snow. A barrel-chested pale ginger tom stood confidently on a massive boulder. His amber eyes gazed upon a dark tabby she-cat seething with rage, "It's not fair!" She caterwauled, a mixture of anger, sadness, and disbelief in her voice. A beige she-cat with hissed at her to hush but the dark tabby retaliated, "He doesn't deserve any of this. I'm superior then him I was fit to be a leader." She yowled, her voice being drowned out in the crowd. A light brown tom murmured reassuring words to the wailing she-cat, but she ignored. "How will I ever be something more than just a forgettable warrior at this rate?" She moaned./p  
hr noshade="noshade" size="1" /  
p style="text-align: center;"The morning brought warmth and the cheerful chirps of songbirds. The snow retreated from the warmth of the sun, as so did the icy leaf-bare winds. Young grass poked through the melting snow. The sky was a brilliant shade of radiant blue, with a few wisps of clouds from the sky./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Watchkit slowly awoke due to the great commotion outside. Watchkit opened his eyes, his mind racing with thoughts, he had to tell Peregrinekit about his dream. emThis dream/emem was so vague unlike my last dream which felt clear. /emWatchkit muttered to himself./p 


End file.
